Men's Eagles win first ever match up with Germany

German threatens early, but USA prove superior with 46-17 victory in Wiesbaden. | The Rugby Channel

Aalina Tabani • November 18, 2017 •

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The Rugby Channel

WIESBADEN, GER. - The Men's Eagles sealed their first ever victory over Germany tonight in a 46-17 win at BRITA-Arena in Wiesbaden. Though the U.S. had a clear size advantage, the Germans threatened early, leading into a high-scoring second half where the Americans would seal their victory.

Going into the match, Head Coach Dave Hewitt was prepared for the challenges his squad would face.

"We knew the German side would come at us with a lot of physical play, our philosophy was to try and match it and I think the boys did really well," said Hewitt.

The 22nd World ranked Germans were on the board first when No. 8 Ayron Schramm went over the line in the 12th minute for the first try of the match. The U.S. followed with several scoring threats but conceded possession to a German defense that held strong against their attempt to move past the gain line. AJ MacGinty gave the Eagles their first points by kicking two through the posts, cutting the German lead to 4 (10-6). As the clock reached the final minutes of the first half, the Eagles found momentum leading Captain Blain Scully to dot down for their first try giving the Eagles a lead they would not give up for the remainder of the match.

The Americans wasted no time in the second half, maintaining possession for the first four minutes of what would be a high-scoring affair. Scrum half Shaun Davies started with an attempt gone short but brought in Joe Taufet'e to score the first of four final Eagles' tries.Minutes after, Davies would dot down and MacGinty collected a try himself, allowing the Americans to run away with a 39-10 lead.

"We knew that if we stuck to our game plan we would come back and see the consistency. We put into place the phase play that we practiced," described Hewitt, making note of his squad's ability to challenge the opposition.

The Germans would catch the U.S. off guard just once to make their lone score of the half, and second overall but the U.S. kept their offense alive by answering quickly with a maul that inched them in to seal their final victory.

The United States' first ever victory over the Germans gives them a 1-0 lead in the two-part series that will conclude on U.S. soil next June. Following their stay in Frankfurt, the Eagles will make a trip to Tbilisi for a test match against Georgia which will serve as their final contest of 2017.

Head Coach Dave Hewitt will travel to Georgia on Sunday with confidence in his squad and their performance tonight, stating "Just really proud of the entire team, even those who didn't make the field, in how they prepared for this week. They put a lot of work in, and got the result they deserved."

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